Various Styles of 18th Century Slip-Decoration Recovered in Charlestown, Massachusetts

I thought it would be a good idea to show some of the different patterns of slip-decoration that were recovered in Charlestown, Massachusetts within a pre-1775 archaeological context; although, not all of these patterns are directly tied to a specific potter's business in Charlestown because of where they were excavated. However, most (or possibly all) of these styles of slip-decoration are thought to have been produced in Charlestown in the eighteenth century. Many of these objects were also manufactured before 1750, but for the sake of this article, I have given a generic "made before 1775" attribution.

I also want to note that some of these sherds were recovered in a pre-1742 archaeological context at Faneuil Hall in Boston. But they are also thought to have been made in Charelestown, as a result of similar or matching slip-decorations from that potter's industry, which were excavated during the archaeology of Boston's Big Dig Project in the 1980s.

It appears that the Charlestown potters applied slip in three different ways:

1. They used a stamp.
2. They used a brush.
3. They used a slip cup.

The most common forms that I have seen tied to the potter's industry in Charlestown are chamber pots, mugs, pans, porringers and various utilitarian crocks and pots.

Surviving Objects
I have also shown two eighteenth century red earthenware pots that were likely made in coastal Massachusetts, which survive today in a private collection on Long Island, as well as Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. These intact pots are decorated in a style of slip-decoration that is also comparable to how some of the artifacts from Charlestown are decorated.

The pots also retain important provenances, where one pot was previously owned by George S. McKearin, and the other pot is a part of the Lura Woodside Watkins Collection at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

According to Watkins (Figure 32, Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "This mustard pot is decorated in a variegated ground with green, yellow and brown tones, as well as brushed slip-decoration. It is attributed to the Newburyport, Massachusetts area (it was likely found in the Newburyport area)."

Surviving 18th Century Red Earthenware Pots

18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Pot

Likely Made in Coastal Massachusetts, Possibly Essex County

The Style of the Slip is Somewhat Comparable to Styles that were Produced in Charlestown, Mass.

Ex-George S. McKearin Collection

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Butera - Port Jefferson, NY

View of the George S. McKearin Collection Label

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Butera - Port Jefferson, NY

18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Herb Pot

Likely Made in Coastal Massachusetts

The Style of the Slip is Comparable to Styles that were Produced in Charlestown, Mass.

Lura Woodside Watkins Collection

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Mass.

Various Slip-Decoration Recovered in Charlestown, Mass. in the 1980's

 18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Pan Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Probably Locally Made

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Pan Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Probably Locally Made

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Porringer Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Probably European in Origin

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

18th Century Red Earthenware Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.
Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Sherd Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Sherds Recovered at Faneuil Hall in Boston
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1742
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware  Porringenr Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Sherd Recovered at Faneuil Hall in Boston
Probably Locally Made

Made Before 1742
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Mug Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

  18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

 18th Century Red Earthenware Chamber Pot Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
Attributed to the Potter's Industry in Charlestown, Mass.

Made Before 1775
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

17th Century Northern Italian Marbleized Slipware Recovered in Woolwich, Maine

According to Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts, "From 1986 through 2001, the late Dr. Robert L. Bradley led a dedicated team of staff and volunteers in the excavation of the Phips Plantation in Woolwich, Maine. The homestead was constructed between 1639 and 1646, and was abandoned and destroyed on August 14, 1676, in a Wabanaki raid during King Phillip's War. The site was the birthplace and childhood home of Sir William Phips (1651-1695), the first American to be knighted the King of England, and the first royal governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony."

According to the New England Historical Society, "On May 5, 1695, Samuel Sewall, a trial judge for the Salem Witch Trials, reported the death of William Phips in his diary: 'About 3 hours News comes to Town of the death of Sir William Phips, Feb. 18th, at which people are generally sad. Lay sick about a week of the new Fever as 'tis called.'

Phips established the witch trial court and appointed Sewall as one of the judges. Later he disbanded the court, and Sewall was the only judge to apologize for what they had done. 

Sewall wrote quite a bit about Phips in his diary, which he kept from 1673-1729. It is considered one of the most important historical documents of the time.

Though Phips' origins were humble, he came into royal favor by discovering Spanish treasure in the Caribbean and sharing it with his investors. He was born on February 2, 1651 on the frontier in what is now Woolwich, Maine, to James and Mary Phips. His father, James was a trader, who also worked as a ship carpenter. 

William was a shepherd until he was eighteen, then he apprenticed to a shipwright. He had no formal schooling, but managed to learn to read and write. At 22, he traveled to Boston and continued to work as a shipwright. He also married Mary Hull, a widow of a Boston sea captain.

Phips built a successful shipyard on the Sheepscot River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine in 1675. However, Native Americans destroyed the shipyard in August 1676 (days before the Phips Plantation was destroyed), so he moved back to Boston and established a new shipyard. Seven years later he went into treasure hunting. After two expeditions - one successful - one unsuccessful - Phips discovered a sunken Spanish treasure of silver off the coast of Hispaniolo. The lion's share, estimated at about 200,000 to 300,000 pounds, went to his investors in the venture - and, as a result, Phips was knighted by King James II. 

His connections in London resulted in his appointment as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in May 1692. But he only served for two-and-one-half years. Towards the end of his administration as governor he got mired in personal disputes. He was called back to London and died while waiting to answer charges against him."

It is also important to mention that when the Phips Plantation was attacked and burned on August 14, 1676, that many of the local refugees sailed away on a vessel, which was just finished by William Phips. Presumably, this was a boat that Phips built at his shipyard about fifteen miles upriver in Merrymeeting Bay, which was reportedly "...turning out a number of small boats and one large merchant ship."

Nonetheless, archaeology at the Phips Plantation uncovered a large collection of ceramics, which included European delftware, English sgraffito, English earthenware pipes (some made by Philip Edwards I in Bristol in the 1650's and 1660's), red earthenware and northern Italian marbleized slipware. It has been suggested that all of the red earthenware may have been English in origin; however, the simple examples that I have viewed appear like they were made in Massachusetts in the seventeenth-century, where production did occur along the coast.

In theory, the northern Italian marbleized slipware that was recovered in Woolwich may have originated in Boston, where there has been a surprising amount of this type of ceramic discovered. Northern Italian slipware has been recovered in various mid-to-late-seventeenth-century archaeological contexts in Charlestown, Massachusetts and Boston.

Personally, I do not consider it to be impossible to say that William Phips could have negotiated a deal, where ceramics were shipped to the plantation in Woolwich, which may have originated in Boston. After all, William's father is also a documented trader.

The northern Italian sherds that were recovered at the Phips site may also help support this idea since this type of ceramic is considered rare in a seventh-century site in New England today. To my knowledge: I have not seen northern Italian marbleized slipware recovered at any other seventeenth-century site in New England outside of Boston, Salem, Charlestown, and now Woolwich.

Northern Italian Sherds Recovered in Woolwich, ME

17th Century Northern Italian Marbleized Slipware Recovered in Woolwich, ME

Uncovered at the Site of the Phips Plantation

Circa 1639-1676

Photo Courtesy: Salem State University - Salem, Mass.

Northern Italian Sherds Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

 17th Century Northern Italian Marbleized Slipware Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Excavated in a Circa 1650-1700 Context

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

 17th Century Northern Italian Marbleized Slipware Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

Excavated in a Circa 1650-1700 Context

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

Northern Italian Sherd Recovered in Boston

17th Century Northern Italian Marbleized Slipware Recovered in Boston

Excavated from the 1670-1700 Privy of Katherine Nanny Naylor 

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Department - West Roxbury, Mass.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Rare 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug that Recently Sold at a New England Antique Show

There is a nineteenth-century red earthenware jug, which some people may recognize from a few recent antique shows in New England. This jug first appeared last month at a Nan Gurley Antique Show in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it was said to have been found in Connecticut. However, it was recently purchased by a New Hampshire collector at another New England antique show.

My initial reaction when I handled this jug was that it may have been made in the potter's industry in North Yarmouth, Maine. That idea was based on the form, the handle and the crawling in the glaze, which are all styles that were produced in North Yarmouth in the 1800's. The form also reminded me about a few known North Yarmouth-made jars that survive today.

But there was also a rare characteristic about this jug, which made it special, where a stamp had been applied at the bottom terminal on the handle. This is normally where a finger impression would be found from where a potter pressed the base of the handle up against the object; although, here it appears that the potter may have substituted a stamp in that process.

This stamp appears like a snowflake, and it should be noted that a similar snowflake stamp was also applied on some red earthenware, which was made at the Safford family pottery in Monmouth, Maine in the nineteenth-century.

The Maine State Museum in Augusta, Maine acquired a red earthenware jar in 1984 that was stamped with six similar snowflakes, but it was also impressed with the potter's mark, 'John Safford 2d,' which stands for John Safford II. However, I am not convinced that the snowflake stamp that was used on the jug (see below) is the same snowflake stamp that was used on the jar (see below).

Maine Red Earthenware Jar

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by John Safford II in Monmouth, ME

Stamped 'John Safford 2d'

Also Stamped with Six Snowflakes

The Snowflake Stamp is Rare to Find Today

A Similar Stamp was Used on the Jug Below, But it Appears Like it May be a Different Stamp

Circa 1820-1840

Stands Approximately 9 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Maine State Museum - Augusta, ME

Maine Red Earthenware Jug

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Maine
Exhibits Characteristics that is Found on Pottery Made in North Yarmouth, ME

Circa 1820-1840

Stands Approximately 7 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection

Another View of the Glaze

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection

Another View of the Jug and the Glaze

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection

View of the Neck and the Rim

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection

View of the Handle

The Snowflake stamp is Rare to Find Today

A Similar Stamp was Also Used at the Safford Pottery in Monmouth, ME

Photo Courtesy: Private New Hampshire Collection

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Rare End-of-the-Day Sewer Tile Objects from the Waldo Bros. in Boston

According to Waldo Brothers' website, "In 1869, John Aiden Waldo established Waldo Bros. Company as a small masonry company in New England. A few years later, his brother, Charles Sydney Waldo joined John forming the name, Waldo Bros. The company enjoyed rapid growth and opened sixteen locations in the New England and New York areas during the first few decades of its existence. However, Charles eventually bought John out becoming the sole owner.

Over the years, the business grew steadily until the Great Depression when the economy took a turn for the worse, the family was forced to close down most of its offices throughout the region and relocated to a single location in Boston. 

Today, the business still operates from the same site in Boston, although the original building burned down and was rebuilt in the early-1970's."

About a week ago, I came across a three-handled sewer tile vase at an annual Columbus Day Weekend antique event in Ashfield, Massachusetts, which is prominently stamped 'WALDO BROS.' 

This was a new name to me - I had never heard of the Wald Bros. before; however, the dealer told me that he thought the vase was made in Boston in the late-nineteenth century. He also said that he found it in a local home.

Traditionally, I associate these end-of-the-day sewer tile products from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century with workers at factories in places like western Pennsylvania, Ohio and the Midwest. Until recently, I had never seen a sewer tile object that was potentially associated with Boston - and, as a result, I felt it was a good example of whimsical sewer tile that is rarely seen from New England today.

The Waldo Brothers published a company catalog in 1905, and this information helps define how this business operated in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

To the Trade,

WE take pleasure in presenting our revised Catalog, No. 5, which we trust will be useful in furnishing a correct illustration of the goods which we handle.

We shall continue in our agencies for all HIGH GRADE BUILDING MATERIAL and, with the largest stock in New England at our various Yards and Wharves (warehouses), our facilities for prompt shipment are unexcelled.

With thanks for favors, past and future, we are,

Yours Respectfully, 

Waldo Brothers.

Note: The only other marked example of end-of-the-day sewer tile from the Waldo Brothers that I known about is a large handled mug, which was published a few years back in Collector's Weekly Magazine. Although, it has also been published that this mug may have served as an advertising piece for the company, which may be the case with the vase, as well.

Waldo Bros. Sewer Tile Vase from Boston

Late-19th or Early-20th Century End-of-the-Day Sewer Tile Vase from Boston
Stamped 'WALDO BROS'
Circa 1870-1910
Stands 8 7/8" Tall
See Article for More Information

View of the 'WALDO BROS' Stamp
See Article for More Information

View of One of the Three Handles
See Article for More Information

View of the Interior
See Article for More Information

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Waldo Bros. Sewer Tile Mug from Boston

 Late-19th or Early-20th Century End-of-the-Day Sewer Tile Mug from Boston

Stamped 'WALDO BROS'

Circa 1870-1910

Stands 9 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information
Courtesy: Collector's Weekly Magazine

 View of the 'WALDO BROS' Stamp

See Article for More Information
Courtesy: Collector's Weekly Magazine

 View of the Handle

See Article for More Information
Courtesy: Collector's Weekly Magazine

View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Courtesy: Collector's Weekly Magazine

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Wonderful Slip-Decorated 18th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher that is Owned by Historic New England

Historic New England was donated a wonderful eighteenth-century slip-decorated red earthenware pitcher, when the museum acquired Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Massachusetts from Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little. The pitcher is signed in slip, "JOSEPH GOODELL."

According to Historic New England, "A mecca for lovers of American folk art, Cogswell's Grant was the summer home of Bertram and Nina Fletcher Little. The colonial-era farmhouse is a rich backdrop for their celebrated collection, assembled over nearly sixty years. Though known for their research, the Littles decorated with an eye for visual delight rather than historic accuracy. Their home is rich in atmosphere and full of strong, even quirky character."

The slip-decorated red earthenware pitcher (which I have already referenced) is attributed by the museum to Joseph Goodell (1755-1829) from Warwick New Hampshire. However, I have not been able to find any documented evidence, where there was ever a potter named, Joseph Goodell, who produced eighteenth-century red earthenware in New England. But there was a Joseph Goodell (1735-1829), who was one of the first settlers in Warwick, Massachusetts; although, he was not a potter.

I am also not sure how the Warwick, New Hampshire attribution was developed, either. I feel this type of skilled object would have been more likely produced somewhere around coastal Massachusetts or coastal New Hampshire, where there was a larger population to sell such skilled wares in the 1700's.

Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins did not mention a potter named, Joseph Goodell, either in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares.' She also did not cite any type of red earthenware production in Warwick, New Hampshire or even Warwick, Massachusetts in the eighteenth or nineteenth-centuries.

Presumably, this object must have been created by a highly skilled potter, who was also proficient in applying slip-decoration. This was not just a random piece of pottery made by a random potter. This kind of skill was typically found with the potter's industries located around coastal Massachusetts in the eighteenth-century.

The form of this object also appears like it may be a hybrid of a tyg, which is a large English mug that was manufactured with three or more handles in the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries. The multiple handles allowed for more than one person to drink from the mug.

This pitcher is also said to have been manufactured, circa 1788, but I do not know how that year was developed since there is no obvious date written in slip (on the pitcher).

Nevertheless, this pitcher is prominently decorated with a group of slip-spheres, which are surrounded by a number of slip-dots. This is a classic style of English slip-decoration.

The only instance, where I have seen this type of slip-decoration created in eighteenth-century New England, was by a group of potters, who are linked to the Charlestown, Massachusetts potter's industry before 1775. The most prominent examples of this type of slip-decoration are found on a pair of mugs (see below for one of the mugs), which were recovered in a mid-eighteenth-century archaeological context at the Three Crane's Tavern in Charlestown. But, I have seen additional archaeological evidence from Charlestown, as well.

I have also seen a whole mug (see below) with this type of sphere and dot decoration that was discovered in the 1970's by Portsmouth, New Hampshire antiques dealer, Hollis Brodrick. This mug is also tied to the potter's industry in Charlestown.

The handle on these mugs were also lightly striped in slip-decoration, which is also a style of decoration that is seen on the pitcher that is owned by Historic New England.

Understandably, this pitcher has generated a number of questions -- 1) Who is Joseph Goodell? 2) Did Nina Fletcher Little find this object in Warwick, New Hampshire (or Warwick, Massachusetts)? Or was Warwick the provenance that she was told when she purchased this pitcher? That may explain why it is said to have been made there. 3) Why is this pitcher said to have been made in 1788? 4) Could this be a previously undocumented example of Charlestown, Massachusetts red earthenware, as a result of the unusual slip-decoration?

Note: The unusual slip-decoration suggests (to me) that there is a good chance that this pitcher was made in Charlestown before 1775. Here is a link to the object on Historic New England's website.

Cogswell's Grant, Essex, Massachusetts

View of How the Pitcher Sits Today at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Mass.

Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England

Another View of How the Pitcher Sits Today at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Mass.

Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England

18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Pitcher

18th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Signed in Slip 'Joseph Goodell'

Nina Fletcher Little Collection at Cogswell's Grant - Essex, Mass.
The Multiple Handles Make it Appear like a Hybrid of an English Tyg
Stands 7" Tall

Note: This Photo was Taken with a Bright Light

Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England

Another View of the Slip-Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England

Another View of the Slip-Decoration
This Sphere and Dot Decoration is Found on Pottery Made in Charlestown, Mass. Before 1775
Comparable Decorations are Shown on Objects Below with Ties to Charlestown, Mass.

Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England

English Red Earthenware Tygs

 Late-17th Century English Red Earthenware Tyg Sherd

Recovered in a Late-17th Century Archaeological Context in Charlestown, Mass.

Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Dept. - West Roxbury, Mass.

 18th Century Slip Decorated Sgraffito Earthenware Tyg

Dated 1774

Attributed to the Donyatt Pottery in Somerset, England

Stands 6 1/4" Tall

Measures 11 1/4" Wide

Photo Courtesy: The Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, MA

Another View of the Tyg

Photo Courtesy: The Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, MA

Red Earthenware Mug Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.

 18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Mug Found in Charlestown, Mass.

Uncovered in a Mid-18th Century Archaeological Context at the Three Cranes Tavern

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Mass.

View of the Slip-Decoration

The Slip-Decoration is Very-Similar to the Style Found on HNE's Pitcher

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Mass.

 Another View of the Mug

Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Mass.

Red Earthenware Mug Tied to Charlestown, Mass.

 18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Mug Tied to Charlestown, Mass.
The Slip-Decoration Matches the Style Found on HNE's Pitcher

Circa 1730-1760

Stands Approximately 5" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick - Portsmouth, NH

Another View of the Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick - Portsmouth, NH

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...